Introduction
The article I have chosen is ‘Reframing brand experience: The experiential meaning of Harley Davidson’ by Schembri, S. This article talks about the experiential aspect of branding, and how it can be more powerful than the product itself for some companies. The author studies the community surrounding Harley-Davidson motorcycles in Australia, and the lifestyle that comes with the brand loyalty displayed by many Harley-Davidson owners. She explains the method with which she is studying the “experiential meaning of Harley-Davidson”, and then begins to talk about what she learnt whilst immersing herself in the culture. She then discusses her findings and attempts to tie in theories which relate to them, after which she highlights the limitations that might be mentioned and defends her research. Finally, after discussing the power that Harley-Davidson has and also how the consumers interpret the product, she concludes that the way we perceive brands is changing and that the relationship that consumers have with the brand is of paramount importance to the company. Rationale for the article
The purpose of this article is to delve into the meaning and value of branding to consumers. Focusing on Harley Davidson, Schembri talks of the different aspects of consumption, particularly experiential, and how this might persuade the consumer to buy a Harley-Davidson over other brands. Social status is linked in with branding, and the idea that people value themselves and compare one another on the items that they consume. Schembri believes that most research done on Harley-Davidson branding and the relationship it has with its consumers has only been conducted in the USA, and so with ethnographic research in Australia, Schembri tries to explore the global influence of the Harley-Davidson brand. This makes this article different to others covering the issue of Harley-Davidson branding, making it more interesting due to its unique angle.
This article is premised on the assumption that branding has an impact on consumer behaviours, and that the experiential aspect of the brand Harley-Davidson is important to its success.

What does the author do?
The author contacted a Harley-Davidson dealership in Australia about an article documenting the lifestyle and culture of the Harley-Davidson Owners Group, asking them if they could further help her to fully immerse herself in the experience. Willing to assist the author, said dealership chaperoned her and introduced her to opportunities which would help her to document the culture better. The author began to join in on HOG events and make a presence in some of the “chapters” of HOG’s in Australia. Starting as a newcomer, she gained the trust and respect from higher-up riders by her dedication to the scene, interviewing and learning from them as she did so. The author aims to confirm and extend research done by Schouten and McAlexander’s in America in 1995, which made apparent the culture that surrounds owning a Harley-Davidson and attending HOG events. Therefore, having a chaperon to integrate into the HOG culture in Australia was an appropriate method of collecting data and research. Any limitation with the method chosen would occur if the author was unable, due to her lack of status in the HOG community, to gain access to knowledge or aspects relating to the scene. I believe that her methods were successful in that she was able to interact with the members of the scene that were deemed as “higher in rank”, and learn from them wisdom which would not have been available to her without her chaperone. For that reason I believe that there were no limitations to her methods.

Outcomes
The article highlights the infrastructure that is involved in HOG rides. Although the rides are a casual hobby, every aspect is thought of and a moral code is set in place. For example, owners of Harley-Davidson’s who often attend rides prefer to change their exhaust to one which has a higher decibel rating, with belief in the theory that “loud pipes saves lives”, i.e. the fact that the motorcycle is louder means that other road users are more likely to hear them and be aware of them on the road, making it safer for the motorcyclist. A “Tail-end Charlie” is also positioned at the back of the riding group, delegated with the responsibility of coming to the aid of a rider who falls back for whatever reason. In the event of this, along with the “Tail-end charlie”, the rider behind said “fallen back rider” must also come to their aid, ensuring the safety and wellbeing of their fellow “brother”. These rules are made compulsory by the moral code (almost brotherhood) that is known between the Harley-Davidson riders. Another rule implemented is that all riders must ride in a staggered formation, increasing the stopping distance a rider has in the event of an accident, thereby reducing the chance of a serious accident with multiple collisions. It is clear that the riders care for the safety of themselves and others.
The author draws the conclusion that anybody from any background can enjoy the community that comes with Harley-Davidson ownership, whilst again extending the work made by Schouten and McAlexander by proving that the branding experience is greater than just a logo, and part of the product is the social aspect that is available to you.

Strengths and Limitations of the article
The author set out to learn more about the Harley-Davidson lifestyle by integrating into the culture. Not only does the author get the opportunity to speak to normal HOG members, but also core members with perhaps more insight. In this respect, I believe that the author has achieved the aims that she set for herself. I think that the insight that Schembri has provided on more diverse riders, particularly women, has worked well. The author tells the reader of “clean-shaven professionals”, and “colourful characters”, which has allowed light to be shed on a different aspect of the modern culture surrounding Harley-Davidson drivers, contradicting old stereotypes of sexism and violence. I also think that the author’s use of light humour (“no boy wants to be beaten by a girl!”) makes the article a better read, keeping interest and drawing the reader in.
While the author worked hard to immerse herself and study the culture as closely as possible, handling a “steep learning curve” and being “hypersensitive to instances of cultural significance”, she herself has mentioned the opinions that some observers have of ethnographic methods, deeming it as “overly informal”. I agree to the extent that ethnography is informal, however I feel that a formal approach to the understanding of such a culture would be inappropriate. By informally introducing herself into the ranks, she is treated like another HOG member, meaning that the information she learns about the scene is genuine and natural. The author herself, whilst addressing the limitations, talks of how her work in the field was thorough and that she deemed herself as “fully immersed” in the culture.

Conclusion
From reading and critically analysing this article I have learn a lot, not only about the culture surrounding Harley-Davidson and the HOG events, but also the ways in which the author went about discovering them. I have learnt that all Harley-Davidson motorcycle owners that attend HOG events - regardless of class, race, gender and sexuality - accept one another as equal and have mutual respect for each other. There is an almost unspoken moral code, where Harley-Davidson riders respect not just other Harley-Davidson riders, but everyone on the road. There is also regimented rules set-up to ensure that the safety at HOG events is at a maximum, e.g. Tail-end Charlies, route co-ordinators and also a staggered riding formation. From this article, I have learnt a better understanding of ethnography and the devotion and effort required to do so successfully. By maintaining many relationships with people, almost religiously attending rallies and rides and “managing serious politics” - all over the course of around 3 years - she was able to gain enough information to write this report.

In terms of what knowledge I have gained in regards to the process of critical review, I think that this article is hard to critically review, as the the author has been unbiased and has already addressed which aspects of her article were weak and reviewed them in a section labelled “limitations”. However, despite this, I have learnt that to critically review is to determine the authors aims, the methodology they used, and then to analyse whether the methods were appropriate, whether they had any limitations and whether the aims that the author originally set themselves were actually achieved.

Reference List
Schembri, S. (2009) ‘Reframing brand experience: The experiential meaning of Harley Davidson’, Journal of Business Research 62(12): 1299—1310